KFC's 'secret recipe' leaked in handwritten note by Colonel Sanders’ nephew

Since Colonel Harland Sanders opened the doors to the first KFC in Salt Lake City in 1952, the fast food chain has had people hooked on its finger lickin' chicken.

Well now, it's good news for fakeaway fanatics, as it turns out the 'secret recipe' is no longer a big secret anymore.

A few years back, Joe Ledington, nephew of the KFC founder, lifted the lid on one of the food industry's best-kept secrets.

A reporter from the Chicago Tribune sat down with Ledington who said he found it in a scrapbook that belonged to his late Aunt Claudia.

The simple handwritten note read, "11 Spices — Mix With 2 Cups White Fl," with a list of the following ingredients:

• 2/3 Ts Salt
• 1/2 Ts Thyme
• 1/2 Ts Basil
• 1/3 Ts Origino (sic)
• 1 Ts Celery Salt
• 1 Ts Black Pepper
• 1 Ts Dried Mustard
• 4 Ts Paprika
• 2 Ts Garlic Salt
• 1 Ts Ground Ginger
• 3 Ts White Pepper

"That is the original 11 herbs and spices that were supposed to be so secretive," Ledington candidly shared, later adding: "It could be; I don't know for sure."

"The main ingredient is white pepper," Ledington shared. "I call that the secret ingredient. Nobody (in the 1950s) knew what white pepper was. Nobody knew how to use it."

Food outlets and avid Redditors have since gone on to test their luck, with one offering their advice: "Egg wash the chicken, cover it in this mix, fry. Boom. Donezo."

Another noted: "KFC uses a deep-frier pressure cooker for their original recipe chicken. I don't think many home cooks have one of those."

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